Paris has 37 bridges crossing the river Seine that are used by locals and tourists to pass the river. These bridges are from different periods, some of them with an astonishing beauty, which deserves a special attention. The best way to know more about these bridges is to visit them. With our trains of Renfe-SNCF in Cooperation you have the possibility to travel in a fast and comfortable way to Paris!
Some of the most well-known bridges are:
Bridge of Alexander III
Inaugurated in the 1900 Paris World Exhibition, it was build with the objective of enhance the traffic of the city. It is dedicated to the emperor Alexander the Third, the penultimate emperor of Russia.
It has a length of 160 meters and is built with steel. The tsar Nicholas II, the empress Alexandra Fedorovna and Felix Faure, president of the Republic, placed the first stone. Its mains characteristics are the
32 bronze chandeliers and the huge amount of sculptures. It is one of the most photographed bridges of Paris due its immense
beauty.
Night view of the Bridge of Alexander III
Pont des Arts
The Pont des Arts is
the most popular bridge among
tourists, and well-known because couples left “love locks” at this bridge. However, due to concerns about the possible damage the weight of the locks was causing, they were removed in 2015 for security reasons. The bridge was declared historic monument in 1975, but the current bridge is a reconstruction of 1984 since the structure was very damaged due the two World Wars bombardments and a naval accident.
View of The Pont des Arts
Bir-Hakeim Bridge
It was called Bridge of Passy before and it was built as a memorial for the people of the Free France. Its current name is Bir-Hakeim, as a reminder of the Bir-Hakeim Battle that was fought in 1942 in Libya.
View of Bir-Hakeim Bridge
Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge
It is one of the most modern bridges of the city. It was inaugurated in 1996 and has a length of 32 meters. Its design resembles a plane and is an important monument between Bercy and the François Mitterand Library, between the districts XII and XIII.
Pont de la Concorde
This bridge is one of
the most symbolic and historic bridges in
Paris. It was built with the stones of the Bastille that was destroyed in the uprising of 14th July 1989. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered in 1810 to add more ornamentation to the bridge to embellish its simple original structure.
Pont Neuf
It was declared a World Heritage in 1991 by the UNESCO, the Pont Neuf is in fact the oldest bridge of the city and it was built in the late XVI century. It is the first bridge with sidewalks for the pedestrians and has a length of 240 meters. In addition, it is used to measure the Sena’s rise.
The Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris
Pont Royal
It is the third oldest bridge of Paris and was constructed by Louis XII after a naval accident. After the French Revolution,
Napoleon ordered to deploy cannons along the bridge in order to defend the Tuileries Palace, headquarters of the National Convention at that moment.
Night view of the Pont Royal